NDLEA dismisses allegations of lopsided appointments, nepotism

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismissed claims of nepotism and favoritism in its appointments of Directors and Commanders, describing the allegations as baseless and false.

A statement by the NDLEA Spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Thursday in Abuja, addressed concerns raised on social media about the appointment of top officials, stating that the claims were misleading and intended to create division.

Babafemi described as false, insinuations in some social media posts suggesting that appointments into high ranking positions were tilted in favor of Northern Muslims against Southern Christians.

He said “for the benefit of the reading public, the agency will like to state as follows: Out of the 20 Directors/ Commandant in NDLEA, 14 are Christians and six are Muslims.

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“Of the 14 Zonal Commanders, nine are Christians and five are Muslims; out of 37 State Commanders, 19 are Christians and 18 are Muslims; of the 14 Special Area Commanders, 10 are Christians and four are Muslims

“Out of 12 Coordinators/Heads of Units, nine are Christians and three are Muslims; while out of 11 Heads of Operation, seven are Christians and four are Muslims.

“In all, out of the 108 topmost appointments and positions in the Agency, 68 of them are occupied by Christians and 40 are Muslims.

“This represents a ratio of 63 per cent – 37 per cent as against the perception some mischief makers are trying to create against the leadership of the Agency,”he said.

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Babafemi assured the public that the agency leadership remained focused and committed to the goal of curbing the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

This, he said include upholding the tenets of fairness, equity, and merit in its distribution of opportunities for its workforce.